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Offset and Digital Book Printing – What You Need to Know

Offset book printing is a printing technique in which the inked image is transferred from a printing plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface.

Mechanical process

Offset lithography is highly used for large volume commercial printing. The first step in offset printing is the design image being burned onto a printing plate. It is then transferred to a rubber sheet straight from the plate, and the final transfer is to the printing surface. The offset book printing lithographic process uses a technological process based on the repulsion of oil and water. Ink rollers provide ink for the images to be printed, while the areas that do not require printing attracts a film of water. This ensures that the nonprinting areas are ink-free.

Digital printing simply eliminates offset’s processes such as making plates, making films and colour proofs and manual stripping of the pieces. These eliminations make it a much more affordable printing solution.

Advantages

Digital

Shorter print time

Lower costs compared to offset in small prints

Has variable data printing

Offset

Produces higher image quality with higher resolution and no streaks/spots

The defining difference between offset book printing and digital print

Quantity

Offset printing is the better of the two when it comes to quantity in production. This is because it produces a bulk print at a lower price compared to digital printing. The cost involved in digital printing rises with the increase in volume because of the materials and technology used.

Customizable printing design

Digital printing out does offset printing here in that it allows the frequent change in your print design due to its digital usage. Offset printing, on the other hand, have to stick with a standard design since printing plates are used to produce the output.

Colour

Digital presses use four-colour which are carefully mixed whenever needed to produce any other colour. When you need to print simple black and white, offset is the best for you in terms of prices. In case you want a book with multiple colours then is it a better idea to use digital printing for your book printing.

Turnaround

Offset printing is fast but only the latest technology can offer a turnaround time compared to digital printing. So depending on your intended deadline, you will have to either select one or hand in for printing a little bit earlier than expected.

Proofing

Proofing is cheaper in digital printing since there is consistency in book printing in that what was produced one month ago can still be produced today in the same exact detail. The offset is different in that if you need a detailed copy, you will need to spend more.

Digital printing offers a more affordable rate of printing when it comes to customization due to its flexible nature. The offset cannot compare since it is rigid in nature. This makes digital printing all the more favourable of the two when you need a small volume solution for customizable work.

Offset and Digital Book Printing – What You Need to Know was last modified: August 28th, 2017 by Joanne